Lighten up an appetizer favorite with these Southwest loaded sweet potato skins

Brandy is the author of the food blog, Nutmeg Nanny. In her spare time she enjoys developing recipes, baking and cooking. She is a small town girl who left the corn fields of Ohio for the scenic beauty of the Hudson Valley region of New ...

Potato skins get a bad rap for being full of fat and, ummmmm... not exactly healthy. Enter the sweet potato.

These sweet potato skins are topped with lots of Southwest-flavored vegetables, Mexican-blended shredded cheese and a drizzle of lime-spiked sour cream. They might not be considered true health food, but the corn and black beans have to count for something, right?

Southwest loaded sweet potato skins recipe

Yields 6

Ingredients:

3 medium-size sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup sliced bell peppers

1/4 cup diced onions

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

Kosher salt and pepper

1/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup medium-spiced salsa

1/2 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 lime, zested and juiced

Directions:

Poke a few holes into the sweet potatoes, and place them in the microwave. Cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Let them cool.

Once the sweet potatoes are cool, cut them in half, and scoop out a little flesh from the middles of the potatoes. Set aside.

To a small skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the peppers, onions, smoked paprika, chipotle chile powder, salt and pepper. Sauté until the peppers and onions are soft. Remove from heat, and stir in the black beans and salsa.

Lay out the halved potatoes on a baking sheet, and stuff each sweet potato with the pepper mixture.

Top each sweet potato skin with equal amounts of cheese.

Place the sweet potato skins under the broiler in your oven, and melt the cheese.

While the cheese is melting, prepare your sour cream mixture.

In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, lime zest and lime juice.

Remove the hot sweet potato skins from the oven, and either drizzle the sour cream mixture onto the potatoes or serve it on the side.